There is no conventional trailer-type of apparatus that can provide the desired functionality of hauling both packaged goods and dry bulk material. There are known trailers that are configured to efficiently haul dry bulk material and there are other known trailers that are configured to efficiently haul packaged goods.
Conventionally, dry bulk material, such as granular chemicals or plastics, polymers, agricultural products, mineral commodities, food grade commodities like flour, sugar, starch, coffee, and grains, etc., are moved in bulk form (i.e., large quantities without any box, container or similar discrete packaging) from a manufacturing facility or a distribution center to an end user by a trailer that has been manufactured specifically for such dry bulk materials, such as a conventional pressure vessel trailer as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Other novel apparatus that provide simple and lightweight solution to facilitate the storage, transport and delivery of dry bulk materials that are cost-effective, standardized and overcome the disadvantages of the complex and costly prior art systems have been developed.
One of skill in the art will recognize that conventional dry bulk material storage, transport and delivery apparatus and technology is highly specialized, uniquely configured for its intended functionality, and does not additionally facilitate the loading and unloading of packaged goods, which is usually performed by forklifts or hand trucks for pallets of packaged goods, in the same trailer. Obviously, conventional dry bulk material trailers are closed on each end. The dry bulk material is loaded through the ports at the top of the cylindrical vessel and unloaded through the ports at the bottom of the cylindrical vessel.
Dump truck type of technology is also well established for storage, transport and delivery of dry bulk material. However, dump trucks are not configured to store, transport and delivery dry bulk material without exposure to the elements, since the top is open and the open top specifically enables the functionality of the dump bed. Additionally, dump trucks are also not configured or enabled to accommodate forklifts or pallets of packaged goods. Consequently, dump trucks are not designed to haul packaged goods and, as another disadvantage, do not meet food shippers' sanitation standards because of difficulties sealing out environmental exposure.
Another established system for the storage, transport and delivery of dry bulk material includes tilting technology and liners in connection with standardized intermodal containers. For example, a 20, 30, or 40 foot intermodal container has a liner installed (which is basically a very large plastic bag), that is filled with the dry bulk material, and then shipped by truck, rail or boat. In order to deliver this intermodal container filled with dry bulk material, a specialized chassis (rather than a standard intermodal chassis) with a lift piston is necessary to tip the intermodal container to an angle allowing the dry bulk material to move to the rear (or back that is remote from the tractor, which upon tipping or lifting, becomes the lower point) of the intermodal container, where the dry bulk material is discharged by gravity generally through wide open doors of the container if appropriately fitted, into a device like a rotary valve airlock which feeds the dry bulk material into pneumatic conveyance. Unfortunately, bulk intermodal containers with liners have two major problems: high tare weights (the containers themselves are quite heavy with respect to the payload weight they can carry and a separate chassis that must be structurally sound on its own, which results in lower net weights), and the requirement for installation and disposal of very large liners.
Additionally, over long distances, the cost efficiencies of shipping and receiving product in bulk can be offset by the cost inefficiencies of returning the trailer to origin empty. On longer routes, truckload pricing is often predicated on backhauls or two-way loaded moves generating revenue in each direction. Shipping in bulk offers certain efficiencies over handling packaged goods, but usually not enough to overcome the constraint of generating revenue on only the outbound leg.
Critically, dry bulk material, particularly food for human consumption, cannot be exposed to foreign contaminants. Regulators, shippers, manufacturers, consumers, etc. of dry bulk material (or end products based upon or including dry bulk material) don't want metal shavings, glass, wood splinters, paper, plastic wrap, mud, grease, oil, rubber skid marks, contaminants, etc. coming into contact with the dry bulk materials (or the end product based upon or including dry bulk material). Consequently, any vessel handling both bulk and non-bulk needs to keep the unpackaged bulk material free from adulteration or contamination.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a simple and lightweight solution that provides shippers of dry bulk material and packaged goods an apparatus that facilitates the efficiencies of backhaul pricing in the form of a trailer that is convertible from a configuration used with dry bulk material in an efficient manner (i.e., sealed to outside exposure, food safe, easily cleaned, etc.) to a configuration used with packaged goods as efficiently as a standard van trailer (i.e., must allow forklifts to load palletized and packaged goods for conventional loading and unloading at conventional warehouses with conventional loading docks) and that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art apparatus.
This disclosure consists of certain novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.